https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.89.9

By the time this has landed on your doorstep, the Policy Committee will have had our inaugural meeting with Mary Morrell, the incoming Chair. We will have identified the key policy areas with which The Society will be engaging, our objectives for the coming year, and any gaps in expertise on the Committee.

The preparation for this meeting has taken a significant part of the last few months. We’ve had Trustee meetings, staff meetings, and discussions with the Education and Outreach Committee about areas of overlap between the two committees (e.g. the area of ‘higher education’ is relevant to both). We’ve also been looking at the 2011 Member Survey, and picked out the key areas that Members have flagged as being of importance.

We’ve also been evaluating what policy work is carried out by other organisations, and we hope that the Policy Committee meeting will help us to work out how to best engage with other organisations to ensure that the voice of physiology is heard, and how best to achieve the key policy aims of The Society.

We will provide an update on the outcomes of this meeting in the next Physiology News. However, if you have any thoughts in the meantime, please do feed them into our Policy Manager at policy@physoc.org

Outside of this, autumn has been busy from a policy perspective. The Physiological Society have co-run and co-funded an event in association with the British Pharmacological Society and NC3Rs. Entitled ‘Models of Pain’, the event aligned with The Physiological Society’s commitment to the 3Rs, enabling discussion about opportunities for developing new and better models of experimental pain.

Over the last few months, The Society has been rather busy in a number of policy areas. We’ve invited MPs into labs conducting animal research in a scheme alongside the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry and Understanding Animal Research, and have signed up to a Declaration of Openness on animal research. We have also fed into an inquiry by the think tank IPPR on ‘The Future of Higher Education in England’, and representatives of The Physiological Society have attended the party conferences.

Society attends party conferences

The Physiological Society attended the three main UK political party conferences this autumn, attending fringe events, and meeting with a number of MPs. With an eye on the changing legislation relating to animal research, a stand was funded at the Labour and Conservative conferences in collaboration with Understanding Animal Research and the British Pharmacological Society. These attracted roughly 250 people at the Labour conference, including Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, and, at the Conservative conference Lord Turnball, Home Office minister with responsibility for animal research, stopped by.

Issues relating to science were highlighted at all three party conferences. The Liberal Democrats passed a policy motion calling for an increase in the ring-fenced science budget at 3% above inflation over the next 15 years and at the Conservative party conference, Chancellor George Osborne announced £200 million new money for the Research Partnership Investment Fund.

Meanwhile, Chi Onwurah, shadow science Minister, talked about her initial thoughts for a new policy on science and research for the Labour party. This includes a proposal for a review of how impact is assessed and a long-term funding plan for science. She was, though, unwilling to talk about the specifics, and wouldn’t commit to supporting the Liberal Democrat call.

Society signs up to ‘Declaration of Openness’

The Physiological Society has welcomed and signed up to a declaration on openness in research using animals. The declaration was co-ordinated by Understanding Animal Research and co-signed by many organisations within the life sciences sector, including the Research Councils, medical research charities, and a number of universities. The declaration commits signatories to “work together to establish a Concordat that will develop principles of openness, practical steps and measurable objectives which will underpin a more transparent approach to animal research.” More information can be found online at www.physoc.org/media-statement/2012

Changes to the animal research act

The proposed changes to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 will be debated in the House of Commons and House of Lords during the winter – these are likely to have taken place by the time of reading.

Little will change drastically when the new legislation comes into force on the 1 January – areas including revised training requirements are not due to be dealt with until later in 2013.

New guidance and codes of practice will also be created in 2013, and any concerns raised during debates in the Houses of Parliaments could be fed into these documents. As such, it’s crucial for Members to engage with their MP’s now and discuss their research.

The draft amendments to ASPA 86 may be found on the Home Office website, and The Society will provide an in-depth article on the new legislation in the next issue of Physiology News.

Calls for greater focus on postgraduate education

The Higher Education Commission has released a report calling for greater focus on policy relevant to postgraduate education, stating that the issue is “almost entirely absent from the current policy debate”.

Calling for greater awareness of the impacts recent changes may have on postgraduate provision, the report highlights the lack of data gathered about postgraduate education including fees and employment outcomes, as well as a lack of knowledge about the requirement for specific skills.

The report also called for attention to be paid to the funding situation for research Masters degrees, calling for the Government to establish a taskforce to examine the feasibility of a postgraduate student loan scheme.

The Physiological Society shall watch this policy space with interest, and look forward to helping the Higher Education Commission take this work forward.